Milling machine



May 22, 1934.. A. F. BENNETT 1,959,329

MILLING MACHINE Filed July 22, 1931 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 May 22, 1934a BENNETT 1,959,329

MILLING MACHINE Filed July 22, 1931 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Fi i 1711/0120? Witness WFBSMW Chas 70/5 on vow y 1934. A. F. BENNETT 1,959,329

MILLING MACHINE Filed July 22, 1931 s Sheets-Sheet 4 1 45.9 jnv mor 101,177 655 3 m; m U765. 770/500 TM mm y 19340 A. F. BENNETT ,959,329

MILLING MACHINE Filed July 2 1931 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 fig enior ZZ/ Zne ow 9W M85102 W Patented May 22, 1934 UNITED STATES MILLING MACHINE Arthur F. Bennett, West Barrington, R. I., as-

signor to Brown and Sharpe Manufacturing Company, a-corporation of Rhode Island Application July 22, 1931, Serial No. 552,397

4 Claims.

The present invention relates to improvements in milling machines, and is moreparticularly concerned with the provision of novel and improved means for controlling the operation of the feeding connections for moving the saddle and knee.

The primary objectof the present invention is to provide a novel and improved control mechanism for the transverse and vertical feeds which will enable the operator to control the operation of :these feeds from either the front or the rear of the machine, and will prevent any possibility of injury to the operator through the movement of any one of the manually operated members for actuating the saddle and knee feeds by hand during theautomatic operation of either feed.

With this and other objects in view, as may hereinafter appear, a principal feature of the invention consists inflthe provision in a machine of this general descriptionhaving control means for both power and manual operation of the saddle and knee feeds mounted at two separate pointson the machine, of mechanism rendered operative upon engaging one of the power feeds to disengageeach of the corresponding manually operable members for manually actuating that feed.

The several features of the present invention consist also in the devices, combinations and .arrangement of parts hereinafter described and claimed, which together with the advantages to be obtained thereby, will be readily understood by one skilled in the'art, from the following description takenin connection with the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. l isa view in side elevation of the work supporting table, saddle, and knee of a milling machine having the same general construction and arrangement :as that disclosed in the copending application of the present applicant and Benjamin P. Graves, Serial No. 181,050, filed April '5, 1927; Fig. 2 is a plan View partly in section and with parts broken away .to show the connections for manually operating the feeds for the saddle and knee; Fig. 3 is a View taken on line 33 of Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is a detail sectional view of one of the rear controls'for the hand feed mounted toward the rear of the machine;

Fig. 5 is a detail view in side elevation showing particularly the rear hand and power controls for the saddle and knee feeds; Fig. 6 is a detail view partly in section taken on line '6-6 of Fig. 5 to show the connection for disengaging the manually operable member for manually operating the saddle feed; Fig. 7 is a detail view partly in section of the rear power feed controls looking from the right as viewed in Fig. 5; Fig. 8 is a detail view partly in section illustrating particularly the spring detents for latching the rear power feed controls in position; Fig. 9 is a plan view partly in section, and with parts broken away to show particularly the front and rear power feed controls for the saddle and knee; Fig. 10 is a detail View in front elevation showing particularly the from power feed controls for the saddle and knee; Fig. 11 is a view of certain of the parts shown in Fig. .10 looking from the left; and Fig. 12 is adetail sectional view taken substantially on line IZ-12 of Fig. 9.

The milling machine herein disclosed as embodying the several features ofthe present invention, is provided with a table arranged for lengthwise movement on a transversely movable saddle which is in turn supported on a vertically movable knee to enable the work to be moved readily in any desired direction. This machine is provided with a screw feed for imparting the required lateral movements to the saddle, and with a vertical screw feed for the knee, which feeds may be power operated-or turned by hand through driving connections which are similar except as hereinafter described, to those more fully shown and described in the copending application above referred to. Separate power feed controls are provided for both the saddle and knee on the front and side of the knee to provide operating stations for the operator both at the front and at the rear of the machine, and a corresponding set of manually operable controls for operating the saddle and knee feeds by hand are provided both on the front and side of the knee at each of said operating stations for the operator at the front and the rear of the machine. In order to prevent any possibility of injury to the operator due to the rotation of the controls for the hand feeds, when either of the power feeds are in operation, mechanism has been provided which is rendered operative upon engagement of either of the power feeds to automatically disengage and render inoperative the corresponding controls for the hand feed. In the machine as herein disclosed, the power and hand feed controls for the saddle and knee, and the mechanism'for disengaging and rendering inoperative the corresponding hand controls during the operation of the power feeds, are so arranged as to permit the operator during the operation of one power feed, to operate the other feed simultaneously by hand, if so desired.

Referring more specifically to the drawings, the Work table is indicated at 14, the transversely movable saddle at 16, and the vertically movable knee at 18. The transverse feed for the saddle is obtained by the engagement of a rotatable screw-threaded shaft horizontally located in the knee with a corresponding feed nut 22 fixedly mounted on the saddle. The vertical feed for the knee is obtained by the engagement of a feed nut mounted on the knee indicated at-24 in Fig. 2, with a vertical screw-threaded post 26 which is rigidly secured in the base of the machine. The power driving connections for moving the saddle and knee in each direction,

comprise the gear members 27 and 28 (see Fig. 9) which are loosely sleeved on a shaft 30 abutting the screw-threaded shaft 20, and aredriven in opposite directions from the driving gear 32. A reversing clutch member 34 is keyed to rotate with the shaft 30 between the gears 27 and 28, and is provided at each end with clutch teeth, adapted to engage corresponding teeth formed on the gears 2'7 and 28, so that by. engagement with one or the other of these gears, the reversing member 34 and also the shaft 30 may be driven in opposite directions, or maybe held inoperative as desired. The feed screw for actuating the saddle is driven from the shaft through a secondary clutch comprising a sliding clutch member 36 keyed to turn with the feed screw 20 and arranged to engage with a corresponding clutch member 38 formed on the abutting end of the shaft 30. The power drive for the knee is obtained from a gear 40 formed on the reversing member 34 which meshes with a corresponding gear 42 loosely sleeved on a horizontal shaft 44 which carries a bevel gear 46 arranged to engage a corresponding bevel gear 47 on the vertical feed nut 24. The gear 42 may be clutched to drive the shaft 44 and the Vertical feed nut 24 through secondary clutch connections comprising a set of clutch teeth 48 formed on one face of the gear 42 which are arranged for engagement with a corresponding clutch member 50 rigidly secured to the shaft 44.

The secondaryclutch 36 is actuated to connect the saddle feed screw 20 to the power drive through either of two manual control levers, one indicated at 52 in Fig. 9 being located at the front'of the machine, and the other indicated at 54 being located at the rear of the machine. The connections through which the clutch 36 is operated from either of these levers comprises a control bar 56 which is mounted for endwise movement in bearings in the knee support, and at its rear end is rigidly connected by a yoke 58 to a'short bar 60 parallel thereto and similarly mounted for endwise movement in the knee support. A rack 62 formed in the under side of the short bar 60 is arranged to mesh with a pinion formed on the end of a short shaft 64 located at right angles to the bar 60, and provided at its other end with an offset pin 66 which engages in a groove 68 in the clutch member 36 to control the movement of the clutch. In order to impart the required lengthwise movements to the control bar 56 to operate the clutch, the front control lever 52 is mounted on a cross shaft 70 which is provided with a gear segment 72 arranged to mesh with a corresponding rack in a bracket 74 rigidly secured to the bar 56. The rear control lever 54 is similarly mounted on a cross shaft '76 which carries a pinion '78 meshing with a corresponding rack formed in the control bar 56.

The secondary clutch gear 42 may be moved to engage the clutch teeth 48 with the clutch member 50-to connect the vertical feed nut 24 to the power drive similarly by means of two manually operable vertical feed control levers and 82 located respectivelyat the front and rear of the machine. The connections for actuating the clutch from the levers 80 and 82 comprise a i knee feed control shaft 84 arranged for endwise movement-in the knee and adjacent its rear end secured to a clutch shifting member '86 which is provided with flanges engaging each side of the gear 42, and is loosely sleeved oir the short shaft 60 for additional'support. In order to impart the required lengthwise movements to the control shaft 84, the front control lever 80 is secured to a cross shaft. 88 which carries a gear segment 90 arranged to engage with a corresponding rack formed on a depending bracket 92 on the control shaft 84. The rear control lever 82 for the vertical feed is similarly secured to a cross shaft 94 provided with a pinion 96 'to engage the corresponding rack formed in the control shaft 84.

The secondary power clutch controls for the saddle and knee feeds above described are yieldingly latched in the positions to which they are turned by the operator, by a spring detent mechanism which is arranged to determine exactly the angular position of the cross shafts '76 and 94 carrying respectively the power control levers 54 and 82. This mechanism comprises a springpressed detent plunger 98 for latching the controls for the automatic saddle feed in position, and the plunger 100 for latching the controls for the automatic vertical feed in position. These detents are mounted in a recess 102 formed in the knee support, and are forced in opposite directions by means of a compression spring 104 which is seated at one end in a recess in the plunger 98 and at its other end in a recess in the plunger 100. A V-shaped tip 106 on the plunger 98 is arranged to engage in either of two notches 108 and 110 formed in a collar 112 secured to the cross shaft 76 to hold the cross shaft and the connecting mechanism for controlling the position of the cross feed clutch accurately in each of its operative and inoperative positions. One side of the V-shaped portion 106 of the plunger 98 is flattened to engage with a corresponding straight surface on the side of the notch 108 to provide a positive stop for the movement of the cross shaft 76 and control lever 54 in one direction as the clutch member 36 is moved out of engagement with the corresponding driving member 38. The detent plunger 100 is similarly constructed with a V-shaped tip 114 which is arranged to engage in either of two notches 116 and 118 formed in a collar 120 rigidly secured to the cross shaft 94 forming a portion of the control mechanism for the power vertical feed. One side of the V-shaped tip 114 is cut away to engage with a corresponding straight surface in the notch 116 to provide a positive stop against movement of the cross shaft 94 and the control lever 82 as the clutch gear 42 is moved into inoperative position out of contact with the corresponding clutch member 50.

The position of the reversing member 34 to drive the saddle and knee in opposite directions is controlled from a hand lever 122 mounted on a cross shaft 124 which is provided at its inner end with a pinion 126 arranged to mesh with a rack formed on a bracket 128 on a sleeve 130 loosely mounted on the control shaft 56. At its rear end the sleeve 130 is secured to a bracket 132 which is mounted to slide on a guide shaft 134, and carries a yoke 136 engaging in a corresponding slot in the reversing member 34.

The machine herein disclosed isv also provided with manually operable controls for manually operating the cross feed and the vertical feed from either the front or rear of the machine. For manually operating the cross feed for the saddle, a hand wheel 140 is provided on the front of the machine which is loosely sleeved to the projecting end of the saddle feed screw shaft 20, and is normally connected to rotate therewith by the engagement of clutch teeth formed on the hub of. the hand wheel 140 with corresponding clutch teeth on a sleeve 144 keyed to turn with the shaft 20. The position of the sleeve clutch 144 to connect or disconnect the hand wheel from the feed screw shaft is controlled by means of a spindle 146 fitted in a recess concentrically with the axis of the shaft 26, and connected at one end to the sleeve clutch 144 by a cross pin 148, and at its other end to a sleeve 150 by means of a cross pin 152 extending through a slot 154 out for this purpose in the shaft. A compression spring 156 coiled about the spindle 146 between the cross pin 152 and a shoulder 158 tends to hold the clutch sleeve 144 normally in locking engagement with the hand wheel 140. The feed screw 20 may be rotated manually from the rear of the machine by means of a crank handle which is fitted on a sleeve 160 keyed to receive the crank handle and is mounted on and normally connected to turn with a cross shaft 162. A bevel gear 164 mounted on the rear end of the cross shaft 162 meshes with a corresponding bevel gear 166 secured to the rear end of a shaft 168, which at its forward end is connected to the feed screw shaft 20 through a gear 170 on the shaft 168, an idler gear 172, and a gear 1'74 on the feed screw shaft 20. The clutch connec tions for connecting the cross shaft 162 to turn with the sleeve 160, comprise a clutch member 176 which is secured by means of a set screw 1'78 to the cross shaft 162, and is provided with clutch teeth arranged to engage with corresponding teeth formed on an abutting shoulder on the sleeve 160. A compression spring 180 coiled about 7 the cross shaft 162 between the end of the crank sleeve 160 and a collar 182 on the end of the shaft tends to hold the sleeve in clutching engagement with the clutch member 176 and cross shaft 162.

In the machine herein disclosed, mechanism is provided which acts automatically upon the engagement of the power clutch for the saddle feed to disengage and render inoperative both the front and rear manually operable control memhers for actuating the cross feed by hand, so that all danger of injury to the operator from contact with a moving control member is eliminated. The connections for moving the hand wheel 140 located at the front of the machine into inoperative position upon engagement of the power cross feed comprises a lever 186 pivoted at 188 intermediate its length, and provided at one end with a yoke 190 engaging with a flange on the collar 150, and at its other end arranged to contact with the bracket '74 on the control shaft 56. As the control shaft 56 is moved towards the rear of the machine to engage the clutch 36, the lever 186 is rocked about its pivot by engagement with the bracket '74 to advance the collar 152, and acts through the connections above described to disengage the clutch member 144. The engagement of the clutch 36 also acts automatically to disconnect the sleeve 160 carrying the crank handle for the rear hand feed for the saddle through connections comprising a band or sleeve 192 which is sleeved on the cross shaft162, and engages with a shouldered end of the crank sleeve 160. The band 192 is secured to a cross pin 194 which rides in a slot 196 in the cross shaft 162, and is secured to a spindle 198 which is arranged to slide in a central bore 200 in the cross shaft 162.

The spindle is also secured to a collar 202 mounted to slide on the cross shaft 162 by means of a cross pin 204 which passesthrough a slot 206 in the cross shaft 162. The collar 202 is actuated by means of a lever 208 pivoted intermediate its length, and provided atone end with a yoke 210 arranged to engage with a flange on the collar 202, andat its other end to engage with a pin 212 which is journalled in the knee support and is actuated by a earn 214 on the collar 112 on the cross shaft '76 supporting the rear power cross feed control lever 54. The pin 212 is held constantly in engagement with the cam by means of the compression spring 180 above described for holding the crank sleeve 160 in clutching engagement with the collar 176 acting through the connections above described. When the clutch 36 is thrown into engagement by the operation of either the front or the rear control levers, the consequent rotation of the cross shaft '76 and collar 112 will cause the pin 212 to rotate the lever 208, and cause the crank sleeve 160 to be disconnected from the clutch member 176 and shaft 162 against the pressure of the compression spring The vertical or knee feed may be operated manually from the front of the machine by means of a manually operable hand lever 216 or from the rear of the machine through connections which include a cross shaft 218 and a sleeve 220 normally connected to turn therewith and keyed to receive a manually operable crank handle (not shown). The cross shaft 218 is connected to rotate the vertical feed nut through connections which comprise a bevel gear 222 on the rear of the cross shaft meshing with a corresponding bevel gear 224 on the drive shaft 44, which as above described, is connected to drive the vertical feed nut. The hand lever 216 is loosely sleeved on a shaft 226 which at its other end is provided with a bevel gear 228 arranged to engage with the bevel gear 48 on the vertical feed nut 24. The hand lever 216 is normally connected to rotate the shaft 226 by the engagement of clutch teeth formed on the sleeve hub of the lever with corresponding teeth in a sleeve clutch member 230. When the control bar 84 is moved lengthwise to engage the clutch teeth 48 and 50, and put into operation the power vertical feed, the sleeve clutch member 230 is moved to disengage and render inoperative the hand lever 216 through connections which comprise a spindle 232 mounted in a recess or bore extending axially of the shaft 226 and connected by means of a cross pin 234 extending through a slot in the shaft 226 to the sleeve clutch 230. At its other end the spindle 232 is provided with a cross pin 236 which extends through a slot in the shaft 226 into engagement with a sleeve 238 on the shaft 226. The position of the sleeve 238 is controlled to disengage the sleeve clutch member 230 and shaft 226 from the manual control lever 216 by means of a lever arm 240 which is secured to the upper end of a vertical rook shaft 242, and engages with a corresponding shoulder 244 on the sleeve 238. A portion of the rock shaft 242 is cut away to form an abutment 246 which extends into the path of a corresponding abutment 248 forming one end of a slot cut in the control bar 84, so that the endwise movement of the control bar 84 to engage the power vertical feed will operate to rotate the rock shaft 242..and through the connections above described to disconnect the clutch.

The crank handle and crank sleeve 220 on which it is fitted for operating the vertical feed cross feed. The crank sleeve 220 is normally clutched to rotate with the cross shaft 218 by the engagement of the clutch teeth formed on a shouldered portion of the sleeve with a correspending collar fixed to the cross shaft 218, being held in engagement therewith by a compression spring 252 coiled about the cross shaft 220 between the outer end of the sleeve and a collar 254 on the end of the cross shaft 218. The crank sleeve is moved out of clutching engagement with the collar against the pressure of the spring 252 upon actuation of the lower knee feed control through connections comprising a sleeve similar to that designated at 192 in Fig. 4, which is loosely mounted on the cross shaft abutting the shouldered portion of the crank'sleeve 220, and is connected to a collar 258 through a spindle fitted in a central bore in the cross shaft 218 and connecting cross pins. The position of the collar 258 is controlled by means of a lever 266 forked at one end to engage a flange on the collar 258, and at its other end contacting with a pin 268 which engages with a cam 270 formed on one face of the disk 120 secured to the cross shaft 94 carrying the rear knee power feed control lever 82. As the power knee feed is thrown into operation, the corresponding rotation of the cross shaft 94 and the cam disk 120 causes the pin 268 to ride onto a high portion of the cam to rock the lever 266, and through the connections above described to move the crank sleeve 220 against the pressure of the spring 252 out of clutching engagement with the cross shaft 218.

With the construction and arrangement of the milling machine as above described, entirely separate control devices are provided both at the front and the rear of the machine, so that the operator is enabled to operate simultaneously the power knee and saddle feeds, or if so desired, to operate these feeds simultaneously by hand. With the interlocking devices described, a greater factor of safety is provided through the disconnecting ofthe manually operable control levers for the hand feed for table or knee at both front and rear of the machine when the corresponding power feed is thrown into operation. Furthermore, these connections are arranged to operate in such a way that the hand feed for either the saddle or knee is available for use by the operator during thepower operation of the other of said feeds.

The invention having been described, what is claimed is:

1. In a milling machine, the combination of a saddle member having a transverse feed, a knee. member having a vertical feed, power driving connections for said transverse and vertical feeds, a plurality of manually operable power control members for each of said feeds located at different, operating stations on the machine, a plurality of manually operable members 1ocated one at each of said operating stations and normally connected for manually operating each of said feeds, and mechanism rendered operative upon movement of one of said manually oper able power control members to engage one of said power feeds to render inoperative each of the manually operable members for manually operating said corresponding feed.

2. In a milling machine, the combination of 'a saddle member having a transverse feed, a knee member having a vertical feed, power driving connections for said transverse and vertical feeds comprising a saddle power feed clutch, a knee power feed clutch, a plurality of manually operable saddle clutch control members located at different operating stations on the machine, a plurality of manually operable members located one at each of said stations and normally connected for manually operating said saddle, means rendered operative upon engagement of said saddle clutch to disengage each of said manual control members for manually actuating the saddle, a plurality of manually operable knee clutch control members located one at each of said stations,-a plurality of manually operable members located one at each of said stations and normally connected for manually operating said knee, and means rendered operative upon engagement of said knee clutch to disengage each of said manual control members for manually actuating the knee.

3. In a milling machine, the combination of a saddle member having a transverse feed, a knee member having a vertical feed, power driving connections for said transverse and vertical feeds comprising a saddle power feed clutch, a knee. power feed clutch, a plurality of saddle clutch control members located. at different operating stations on the machine, a manually operable member corresponding to each of said saddle control members for manually operating said saddle located at each of said stations, clutch connections acting normally to maintain an operative connection between said manually operable members and the saddle feed, means rendered operative upon engagement of said saddle clutch for actuating said clutch connections to disconnect each of said manually operable members, a plurality of knee clutch control members located one at'each of said stations, a manually operable member corresponding to each of said knee clutch control members for manually operating said knee and located one at each of said stations, clutch connections acting normally to maintain an operative connection between said manually operable members and the saddle feed, and means rendered operative upon engagement of said knee clutch for actuating said clutch connections to disconnect each of said manually operable members for manually operating said knee..

4. In a milling machine, the combination of a saddle member having a transverse feed, a knee member having a vertical feed, power driving connections for said transverse and vertical feeds, a plurality of manually operable power control members for said saddle power feed located at different operating stations on the machine, each having a neutral and an operating position,- a plurality of manually operable power control members for said knee power feed, one being located at each of said operating stations and having each a neutral and an operating position,- a plurality of manually operable members, one being located at each of said stations for manually operating said saddle feed, a plurality of manually operable members, one being located at each of said stations for manually operating said knee feed, and mechanism rendered operative by the movement of one of the power feed control members for either saddle or knee to simultaneously disconnect the corresponding manual feed control members for said saddle or knee at each of said operating stations.

ARTHUR V F. BENNETT. 

